of the elder Drusus (brother of Tiberius), and mother of the future Emperor Claudius. Antonia was an attached friend to Agrippa's mother Bernice, and for her sake proved a fast friend to her son to the end of her life. Bernice herself had come to Rome soon after the death of Herod the Great, along with her mother Salome, and her half-brother Archelaus, when the latter went to procure from Augustus the confirmation of his father's will. Bernice remained at Rome, in the enjoyment of Antonia's friendship and protection, and watchful of her son's welfare. As long as his mother lived, Agrippa conducted himself very well; but after her death he gave full sway to his natural disposition for dissipation and extravagance, and in a few years had wasted all his substance in riotous living, and in profuse largesses to those whom he supposed able to advance his interests with the emperor. He then began to be in want; and any prospects of relief or restored fortune which he might have founded on the friendship or influence of Drusus, were extinguished by the death of that prince, followed as it was by an order from Tiberius that all the intimate associates of his deceased son should avoid his presence, lest the sight of them should remind him of the loss he had sustained. Sunk into poverty, overwhelmed with debt, and hopeless of the future, Agrippa felt that Rome was no longer a place for him, and he withdrew, with his wife Cypros, into privacy and retirement at Malatha in Idumea. Here he felt quite out of his element; and brooding daily over his wasted life and abortive prospects, he resolved upon self-destruction. His purpose was, however, discovered by his wife, who successfully employed herself to divert him from it. This good wife, having thus found how reckless her husband had become

'As one past hope abandoned,

And by himself given over,'

deemed that the time had arrived for her to exert herself on his behalf. She therefore wrote a letter to his sister Herodias, describing her husband's forlorn condition and gloomy state of mind, and imploring her to prevail upon Herod the tetrarch to do something for him. On this, Herod sent to invite him

to his court; and on his arrival appointed him to reside at Tiberias, as its magistrate, with a house and adequate pension. Here the thriftless Agrippa relapsed into his old habits of extravagance, and soon wearied out the liberality of Herod, who took occasion of a public entertainment at Tyre to taunt him with his poverty, his extravagance, and his entire dependence upon him. Agrippa fired at this; and freely retorting taunt for taunt, he flung back his uncle's favours with disdain, and repaired to Flaccus, who was now the Roman governor of Syria, and with whom he had been intimate at Rome. There he found his own brother, Aristobulus, with whom he was at enmity, and who eventually succeeded in driving Agrippa from the protection of Flaccus, by accusing him of having taken a bribe from the Damascenes to support their cause with the proconsul against the Sidonians. The charge was true; and Agrippa had again to wander forth in search of means to live. He repaired to Ptolemais, and the sight of the shipping at that port probably suggested the idea of embarking for Italy, considering that it could not be worse for him there than elsewhere, and might be better. The great obstacle was the want of money; but this he at length surmounted by procuring from one Peter, who was the freedman of Bernice, the sum of 17,500 drachmæ, upon his bond for 20,000. Thus provided, he took ship, and was ready to depart, when he was intercepted by a body of cavalry sent by Herennius Capito, the imperial procurator in Jamnia, for a debt of 300,000 drachmæ which he had formerly contracted. He soothed his captors by professions and promises, but took advantage of the night to cut his cables and sail away for Alexandria. Here his wife's security, after his own had been refused, availed to procure him a loan of 200,000 drachmæ from Alexander, the alabarch of the Egyptian Jews. This person, however, knew Agrippa too well to pay down the whole of that large sum, fearing that he would forthwith squander it away, but gave him part of it, and undertook that the rest should be paid after his arrival in Italy. He then sailed for that country, and was well received by Tiberius, who was residing in the island of Capreæ, and whose grief for

the loss of Drusus had been abated by lapse of time. But the very next day a letter arrived from Herennius, giving the particulars of his debt and flight; and upon this the emperor forbade him to come into his presence till the debt was paid. From this trouble he was relieved by the kindness of Antonia, who, from regard to his mother, advanced him money enough to satisfy the demand. This restored him to the favour of Tiberius, who directed him to attend upon his grandson, Tiberius Gemellus; but mindful of the sincere friendship of Antonia, to which he had been so often indebted, Agrippa gradually attached himself to her grandson, Caius Caligula, and at length became his constant companion, and acquired great influence with him. This sort of life cost money; but Agrippa had borrowed a million of drachmæ, with which he repaid the loan from Antonia, and spent the rest in paying court to her grandson. Troubles, however, still awaited him. Riding out one day with Caius, he incautiously expressed to the latter a wish that the death of Tiberius might soon raise him to imperial power. This was overheard by the charioteer, who being afterwards detected in a theft, intimated that he had something of importance to communicate to the emperor. Tiberius at first refused to hear the man, but at length granted him an audience at the intercession of Agrippa himself. No sooner was the charge made than Agrippa, though clothed in purple, was laden with chains, and, notwithstanding the exertions of Antonia in his behalf, remained in close custody until the death of the emperor, which happened six months after. But the demise of Tiberius changed his condition from that of a captive to a king. The new emperor speedily called him to his presence. He caused him to be shaved, and made him change his raiment. He then placed a diadem upon his head, and declared him King of Gaulonitis and Batanea, and gave him besides the tetrarchy of Lysanias; while for the iron chain by which he had been bound to the soldier that kept him, he bestowed on him one of equal weight in gold.

Agrippa was too prudent to manifest much haste to quit Rome. At length in the second year of Caligula he obtained

leave to go and settle the affairs of his kingdom. He went by way of Alexandria, where his reappearance in the character of a king was hailed with mirth, derision, and insult. In Palestine he was gazed at with wonder, and by his own relations was regarded with envy. Herodias, in particular, was exasperated at her brother's triumph, and urged her husband to seek for himself equal honours. Herod-Antipas, accompanied by her, went to Rome for that purpose, but Agrippa sent an envoy to resist his claim, and to make certain charges against his uncle; and afterwards went himself to render his opposition more effectual by his personal influence. His success was such that Herod was banished to Lyons in Gaul, whither his wife voluntarily followed him, and where they both died. The forfeited tetrarchy, together with the personal property of his uncle, was bestowed upon Agrippa, forming a material addition to his power, and giving him a footing on this side the Jordan. It was during this residence at Rome that Agrippa found occasion to render that service to the Jews, in respect of the image of the emperor, which we have already commemorated. He was still at Rome when Caligula died, and Claudius succeeded to the empire. With this prince, the son of his best friend Antonia, Agrippa had been educated; and his influence over him being great, he took no unimportant part in the measures which secured for him the imperial purple. Immediately on his accession, Claudius raised his friend to the rank of consul, and added to his dominions Judea, Samaria, Abila, and part of Lebanon; so that Agrippa now possessed the entire kingdom of his grandfather, Herod the Great.

It is in the third year of his reign over all Palestine, and when he had been about two years in the country, that the Sacred History takes notice of him. On his arrival at Jeru

salem in A.D. 42, he presented many thankofferings upon the altar, and, as a memorial of his deliverance, suspended near the treasury the golden chain he had received from Caligula. He was covetous of popularity among his subjects, and laboured much to gratify them. In this the testimony of Josephus agrees with that of Luke. Some of his undertakings were, however,

frustrated by the jealousy of the Romans, as when he undertook to raise and strengthen the walls of Jerusalem.

It happens that this is the only Jewish prince of whom any certain likeness exists. It is found on a coin of great rarity and interest, a representation of which is here introduced.1

Forty-sixth Weck-Seventh Day.

JAMES THE BROTHER OF JOHN.-ACTS XII. 2.

Ir was this man, such as we described him last evening,— 'Herod the king,' as he is called by Luke, 'Agrippa the Great,' as he liked to be designated,-who 'about that time' —that is, about the time of the visit of Saul and Barnabas to Jerusalem-'stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.' The Christian church at Jerusalem had become too prominent to escape his notice; and perceiving how deeply that body was hated by the Jews, he expected to win some favour with them by manifesting hostility against its leading members. That this was his primary object is clear from the fact that, after he had killed James the brother of John with the sword,' and perceived that this atrocity 'pleased the Jews, he caused Peter to be apprehended, with the intention of destroying him also, after the Passover.

1

Copied, with the author's kind permission, from Numismatic Illustrations of the New Testament, by JOHN YONGE AKERMAN, F.S.A. London, 1846. The obverse bears the head of Agrippa, with the title of Megas— BACIAEVC METAс АгPINNAC. PIAOKAICAP-King Agrippa the Great, lover of Cæsar. The reverse — KAICAPIA Η ΠPOC ΤΩΝ CEBACΤΩΝ AIMENI, i.e. Cæsarea ad portum Sebastum and Fortune standing with her attributes.